Sweet meets spicy in this recipe for Thai-inspired red curry pork and pineapple lettuce wrap
- Dish includes flavours of galangal, garlic and lemongrass; you can add peanuts or cashews for an extra crunch
- Rice noodles can be made ahead of time, just toss them with a bit of sesame oil to keep them soft
Lettuce wraps filled with ground pork tossed in red curry with pepper and pineapple. Photo: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNSLettuce wraps are a quick-to-make and satisfying meal. They’re also versatile, since they can be built around any combination of meats and veggies you might have on hand.
This dish gets much of its flavour from Thai red curry paste, which stars the concentrated flavours of galangal, shallots, garlic and lemongrass. You can also add jalapeño pepper and diced pineapple for a spicy-sweet heat, but you could easily leave them out. A dash of soy sauce adds umami; for extra crunch, you might want to throw in some chopped cashews or peanuts before serving.
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The rice noodles can be made up to two hours ahead, but you’ll want to toss them with a little sesame oil to keep them soft in the fridge until you use them. Don’t like pork? Substitute ground chicken.
While you can use any green leafy lettuce as a wrap, romaine and Boston bibb lettuce offer the sturdiest cradle for the savoury filling.
Red curry pork and pineapple lettuce wraps
Serves 4
- 2 ounces rice vermicelli (around 57g)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste, or more to taste
- 1 pound ground pork (around 453g)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and sliced thin
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 4 spring onions, sliced thin on the diagonal
- 8-ounce can pineapple chunks, chopped (about 227g)
- 1 head green leaf lettuce or Bibb lettuce, leaves washed and separated
1. Place rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cool water and drain again. Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside while you prepare pork.
2. In large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add pork, red pepper, jalapeño pepper, garlic and soy sauce and cook, breaking meat up with a wooden spoon, until it is just beginning to brown, and vegetables are crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Taste, and season with a little more soy sauce if it’s not salty enough.
3. Add spring onions and chopped pineapple, and toss to combine. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.
4. Place some rice noodles in middle of each lettuce leaf. Using a slotted spoon, add pork and veggie mixture on top of noodles.
5. Serve immediately.